On Friday 6th March 2015 Market Drayton Junior School celebrated its 100th ‘birthday’ with a very special concert and fireworks evening.
Earlier that day the children attended a special centenary assembly where they shared the results of their research into the history of the school. Some of the children produced art work to represent the past 100 years; others had created a cross stitch picture to remember the celebration; while others produced a montage of dance throughout the past hundred years.
The special concert was the culmination of a weeklong showcase of the school’s 100 year history, with an exhibition of memorabilia being on display each day of the week for parents, family members, ex-pupils, staff and community members to come along and enjoy. We are very grateful for the contributions of photos, newspaper clippings and various other mementoes from you all.
The concert and firework event on the evening of Friday 6th March was a tremendous success, with over 1000 in attendance on the night. Our Upper & Lower School Choirs performed a variety of popular songs from the last 100 years, taking the audience on a journey of ‘music through the decades’. They were joined by pupils from Market Drayton Infant School and the Grove School, who performed one or two of their own tracks, as part of a joint celebration with the recently formed Market Drayton Learning Partnership Trust.
The evening was finished off with a fantastic firework display, which added a very special touch to the occasion. A very big thank you to Matthews Bros Pyro Ltd for organising the display and the team who lent us the stage. A huge thank you must go to our kitchen staff and PTA for providing the refreshments. It is a night I’m sure our pupils and staff will remember for many years to come!
Special thanks goes to our talented Music coordinators, Mrs Wakelin and Miss Woods for working tirelessly with both choirs to prepare for the concert, and to Mrs Pinnock and the rest of the Centenary Working Group, who put in a lot of time and hard work researching and creating the fabulous exhibition of memorabilia.
Market Drayton Junior School Centenary Celebrations Fireworks
This is “Market Drayton Junior School Centenary Celebrations Fireworks” by Pyro Productions on Vimeo.
2015 – A Very Special Year
2015 marked a very special occasion at our school as it was 100 years since the first pupils enrolled at the Alexandra Road site. Building work had begun in 1914, as recorded on a plaque on the front of the main building, but the doors first opened on March 8th 1915, when 206 children joined the school.
To help make this special milestone more relevant to our students’ learning, the children studied aspects of the past 100 years during their lessons at various points throughout the year. The school also held a series of celebratory events throughout the spring and summer terms, involving parents and the wider community.
Our celebratory events included:
- A museum and exhibition open to the public, with historical school records, documents and photographs on display – week beginning March 2nd 2015
- An open day followed by and evening of fireworks and music – March 6th 2015
- A summer fete and garden party with live music – July 2015
The PTA also joined in the celebrations, supplying commemorative soft toys bearing the school’s logo for all children to take home, enjoy and help remember the school for years to come!
The events were a huge success, were very well attended, and helped to make our milestone year very special and memorable for our staff, children and families!
Centenary Garden Party
On Friday 10th July from 3.30pm Market Drayton Junior School greeted parents, children, governors and former staff members at their Centenary Garden Party.
Key Strings provided the music, while there were a range of stalls and games to entertain.
A traditional picnic took place on the school field.
Thank you to everyone who supported our final centenary event of the year.
Centenary Teddy bear
The PTA kindly bought children and staff a Centenary teddy bear as a memento of this special year. Thank you to them all.
